In the darkest of times, youre hand clutches mine
by Dark-flames
Summary: The trios sixth year, including terror from teh dark side, love, enimity, friendship and eventually death for some. How will some cope? How will others chose?H?, RHr, DG, some HHr
1. Whispers from the past

Whispers from the past  
  
It was a cold summers night, sun having just gone down below the horizon and the stars starting to twinkle in the sky. The moon was not lighting up the streets of London but was hiding behind grey clouds.  
  
On one of the dusty streets feet still clattered against the sidewalk. Walking fast with her jacket draped closely around her body for warmth she passed the small shops and headed for home. She was about 16 or 17 years, with a long mane of brown hair and dark eyes that where barely visible in the darkness. She wore a pair of dark jeans and a brown jacket, while her hair was tucked under a hat. At each corner she would turn around quickly as if to see to it that no one was following her.  
  
Hermione Granger reached the bus stop around midnight, and sat down waiting for the bus to arrive. It would be another five minutes so she allowed herself to search her surroundings while waiting. She stood by a pole upon where the bus times where lined on a piece of paper. Just to her left the road a corner revealed the door into a grocery store, a very small such. On her right the windows where covered with paintings and various objects that looked as if they descended from another lifetime. She shivered in the wind that seemed never ending and almost jumped as a sound as if from a monster rounded the corner on her far right and started creeping down the street towards her. She took a step out on the street and waited for the bus to stop.  
  
The driver was an old and wary man. He looked like he needed a good nights sleep, as he reached over and handed her the ticket. She nodded in thanks and moved up the rows of seats heading for the far end. She was surprised of the amount of people that where travelling by bus at this time of day.  
  
Just behind the driver sat an elderly couple. They looked up with distaste written all over their faces and then quickly returned to their conversation. A bit further down the rows sat a boy with his head propped up against the window and his thoughts seemingly lost in the music she supposed came through the phones he wore.  
  
She sat down by a window and started gazing out at the streetlights as they slowly made their way down yet another road. A few stops here and there were all that disturbed the peaceful rhythmic drumming of the engine and the drive through a city that didn't know what awaited it.  
  
'Hermione it's time to get up now, or you'll miss the train dear.' 'Huh? ' 'The train dear, to Hogwarts.'  
  
Mrs Granger gave a smile as her daughter looked up with confused eyes.  
  
'Hogwarts. '  
  
Mrs Granger nodded and left the room telling her husband that Hermione would be ready in a minute or two, she just needed to wake up fully first.  
  
The early morning sun met her as she stood from her bed and reached for the jeans and sweeter on the chair. It was a feeling of dread, as she finished her checking list and shut the trunk that went through her body, into her very bones.  
  
Last time she had seen her friends Harry had been a mess, and well Ron hadn't looked much better. Dumbledore had smiled reassuringly at them before they left but it hadn't been convincing enough. She had seen his conversation with professor Snape and McGonagall afterwards and it had looked fearful, as if they dreaded that the train might not even make it to London. But she had shaken that off, for her friend's sakes. She had shaken that feeling off all summer, but it nagged the back of her mind. War.  
  
In her muggle school, which she had attended before her eleventh birthday when she found out about Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they had thought her about the many wars. The colonial wars, the first and second world war... The pictures she had seen had been so filled with horror, hate... She had asked Mr and Mrs Granger if there would ever be such a war again. They had told her that yes there probably would be, but she need not worry of it, it wouldn't be affecting a small innocent girl as her. So she had been satisfied with that, but a slight foreboding seemed to rest over those pictures, and she still saw them from time to time, in books or documentaries. She wondered fleetingly if Harry had seen them too...  
  
Kings Cross was a mass of people, shouting and running everywhere all of them trying to reach their various trains or find who they where meeting. She bade goodbye to her family at the entrance to the part of the station where the different paths to the many platforms separated from the main one. She gave them each a hug and then rapidly left afraid that too much emotion would not allow her a respectable leaving, but that she would brake down and curse the world and Voldemort and all the damned death eaters and their dark followers.  
  
Yes Voldemort. She barely shivered as she thought of his name. Harry had faced him down so many times, he had been so close to her for only a few months ago. He had caused the death of Sirius.  
  
When Cedric died it hadn't affected her in the same way it had when Sirius did. She had known him, seen him in his many states, and damned it she had even fought over elf rights with him. But she had always loved him for the great heart, and the love he showed both her, Ron and especially Harry. If there had been one Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher she would have wished for, except for professor Lupin sure, it would have been him.  
  
' Herm.' 'Mione.' 'Yes they tell me that is my name.'  
  
Laughing she turned into the embraces of the two boys she cared the most for in this world. One with tussled red hair, and blue eyes that where filled with a certain sparkle she knew was Ron, and she prayed that no one would ever manage to steal that. The other had unruly black locks that fell around his ears, and the deepest emerald eyes she had ever faced. They both smiled and hugged her tightly. There they stood clasping each other as if their life depended on it. With owls hooting from Ron and Harry's trunks, and an irritated Crookhanks from Hermione's.  
  
'We have to get going.' 'Yeah I know. I'm just really happy to see you, that's all...' 'Us too, but it won't do any good to be missing the train because a group of muggles couldn't stop staring. ' 'No I suppose you have a point there.'  
  
So they moved along towards the barrier, and one by one they passed through it. Hermione used the time to greet the rest of the Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks and Moody and was not shocked by the latter's stressful behaviour. But she for once minded not of it, death might be around the corner and if anything it felt natural to be alert.  
  
'Thank you.'  
  
She nodded to Harry as he helped her force the trunk up onto the train, and then they dragged themselves to an empty compartment.  
  
'You reckon prefekt duties will take long?' 'I had forgotten about that. '  
  
She searched her pockets for the familiar badge, but remembered that it had been stuffed in the trunk.  
  
'The great Hermione Granger, prefekt and top of school forgot about prefekt duties?' 'No need to rub it in...' 'Yeah well someone has to take you down to earth once in a while. '  
  
She gave Harry a feeble smile as she got the badge up and pinned it onto her muggle shirt.  
  
'Great match...' 'Guys you keep the seat for me, I have to go, mum and dad business.' 'We'll be out in a second. '  
  
She looked confused for a while as Ron left and Harry just stood there.  
  
'But...' 'Family business.'  
  
She only nodded. So they sat there in silence. She found herself staring at some dust on the window, gazing on it until she felt that feeling of dread creeping up on her. She shivered...  
  
'What's wrong?'  
  
He sounded really worried. She didn't move her eyes from the dust on the window. To him it must have looked like she was staring out onto the platform. And partly she was, but she didn't see the people behind the glass, she only saw their movements and heard their shouts from far away, in a dream she was awakening from. But she couldn't shut them out of her being.  
  
'I am so scared. '  
  
He begun to say something to her but she stopped him with an abrupt movement and now she did look up. Up into those emerald beautiful eyes and she saw the depths in them and almost forgot to breathe.  
  
'But you know what...' It wasn't a question it was a statement. ' What I fear above all, is to lose you. You or Ron. Having to live this down without you. I know it sounds pathetic, but guess what we'll have to face it. Out there, they're waiting for us. Death is greeting so many with open hands, what makes it so sure that the three of us, the three of us who have been more exposed than others since we first came here, you since you where born... it's not far away now. So I just wanted you to know, that whatever happens, don't you dare leave me alone here Harry Potter because I love you so much... You and Ron, I just...'  
  
She hadn't noticed Ron coming in, but she saw a fleeting look up as Harry gave a nod to him before her tears blurred the picture. She choked on her words and lost them in a sea of salt tears running down her cheeks, as the two young men pulled her close and they too got lost... Harry took her face between two strong hands and held it firmly, noses touching, against his own. He looked so deep into her eyes she felt quite sure she would have died had he been of enemy blood.  
  
'Hermione Granger. Me. Ron and me. This war is going to kill many people, hurt even more, and leave only few unharmed. There's nothing we can do about it, but even death, torture whatever they throw at us, they can't brake us and you know why? Because this, ' he motioned against her chest, his own and Ron. ' This they can't take from us, cause it's love. True real everlasting damned love. Us three, we'll always be together. ' 'Forever.' Ron. 'Yes forever.' She managed. 'Forever isn't that long.' Harry looked down as he said this, hoping it wasn't true.  
  
I nodded.  
  
'Then let's make the damned best of it.'  
  
The three all laughed. Three scared laughs, but they knew that no matter what happened, nothing could change this, not even fright, not even death...  
  
Harry let his hands fall down from her face as they laughed, but she caught them as they fell.  
  
'I love you.'  
  
And she kissed the tip of his nose.  
  
'And you.'  
  
And she turned to Ron to do the same.  
  
'Don't ever forget that.'  
  
She didn't even blush, it was just something that happened, right then right there, and they all nodded, faces serious.  
  
'We know. I love you too, the both of you.'  
  
Harry only nodded, that was all he needed to do after what he had said earlier. It felt so right, so safe there between the two of them, how could the world outside of the compartment be falling apart. How could there be a world behind that...  
  
'Please stop.'  
  
She turned and recognized Draco Malfoy's drawling voice. His blue eyes moved around the room, as if searching for something, or someone. She noted that his eyes where so different from Ron's blue. Malfoy let the pale ice blue of his orbs travel into her soul it seemed. He stood there gazing, but it couldn't have been long. Ron hardly noted.  
  
'Can we help you?' 'Yes. Prefekt duties, they're waiting for you, but I see there are other more ah, delicate matters at hand. ' 'Shut up Malfoy.'  
  
For once Malfoy did just that, but the smirk he put on was better than a thousand words could have ever been. 


	2. Dear readers

Dear readers,

I wanted to make sure you all knew how much I love and appreciate you and that every review and every number that increases upon someone reading my story makes my day. Thank you for all the amazing support, ideas, and warmth that you've brought.

Lately, as you may or may not have noticed, I have not been updating any stories despite my promises and I apologize. My life has taken some un-expected turns which have craved my attention more than the writing, sadly, but I am working hard to resolve all this and hopefully, at the latest, I will be able to not only start updating regularly but also wrap up several storylines during the spring.

I hope you will all remain with me through this process and keep reading and reviewing (or just feel free to e mail or write a review notice about whatever, I answer all those I can and find a return address to).

Thank you again for your support, you are all amazing,

All my love & be safe out there,

Darkflames/Petra


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